International Journal of Livestock Research eISSN : 2277-1964 Vol 6 (8) Aug’16 Hosted@www.ijlr.org DOI 10.5455/ijlr.20160608010644 Page6 Growth Performance of Purebred Naked Neck Tswana and Black Australorp x Naked Neck Tswana Crossbred Chickens under an Intensive Management System in Botswana Mothibedi K., Nsoso S. J., Waugh E. E. and Kgwatalala P. M.* Department of Animal Science and Production, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Private Bag 0027, Gaborone, BOTSWANA *Corresponding author: pkgwatal@bca.bw Rec. Date: Apr 26, 2016 23:31 Accept Date: Jun 08, 2016 01:06 Published Online: August 18, 2016 DOI 10.5455/ijlr.20160608010644 Abstract The current study was aimed at evaluating growth performance of Black Australorp × indigenous naked neck Tswana chickens F1 crossbred progeny relative to purebred indigenous naked neck Tswana chickens under an intensive management system in Botswana. A total of 66 Australorp x Tswana crossbred chickens and 66 purebred indigenous Tswana chickens were housed in a deep litter house and evaluated for body weight every fortnight from 4-20 weeks of age. The chickens were provided with water and commercial feeds ad libitum. Males of both crossbred and purebred chickens were generally heavier (p<0.05) than their age-matched female counterparts at different ages. Body weight was significantly higher in Australorp x Tswana crossbred males than purebred males from 10 weeks (1139.48±31.26g vs. 1088.56±32.47g) to 20 weeks of age (2920.93±57.73g vs. 2467.26±59.97g). Crossbred females were significantly heavier than their purebred counterparts from 14 weeks (1528.66±41.13g vs. 1363.85±39.64g) to 20 weeks of age (2224.27 ±59.19g vs. 1839.31±57.04g). Crossbreeding can therefore be used as a strategy to improve growth performance of indigenous Tswana chickens raised under an intensive management system. Key words: Growth Performance, F1 Crosses, Indigenous Naked Neck Chicken, Intensive System, Botswana How to cite: Mothibedi, K., Nsoso, S. J., Waugh, E. E. & Kgwatalala, P. M. (2016) Growth Performance of Purebred Naked Neck Tswana and Black Australorp x Naked Neck Tswana Crossbred Chickens under an Intensive Management System in Botswana. International Journal of Livestock Research, 6 (8), 6- 14. doi:10.5455/ijlr.20160608010644 Introduction Almost every rural family in Botswana owns Tswana chickens, which provide a valuable source of protein in the form of meat and eggs, and additional income through occasional sale of live birds. Indigenous Tswana chickens are mainly raised under traditional free running system characterized by poor nutrition, poor housing and minimal healthcare (Kgwatalala et al., 2012). No organized artificial